


Whole Again

by nagi_schwarz



Series: The Oppenheimer Effect [76]
Category: Clan Mitchell - Fandom, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-11 03:23:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10453827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: Written for the comment_fic prompt: "Any, Author's Choice, Aftercare."Frank Mitchell, in the aftermath of his son's near-death.





	

Frank and Wendy sat on the couch, watching Tyler sleep. He’d fallen asleep on one of the armchairs, curled up in the impossible way of the young. Wendy had wrapped a blanket around him, and he’d dropped off to sleep. He hadn’t said much about what had happened, but then he didn’t have to.  
  
The video of the attack had gone viral online. Skipper had called to explain what was going on, about the video, for Frank and Wendy to be prepared for questions. Wendy, because she was stronger than Frank was, asked how she could see the video. So she could know.  
  
It was horrific. Those men, ganging up on Cam, Tyler stepping in to defend him and getting swatted aside, and then the man dragging a struggling Cam from his chair, Cam who was struggling to get to Tyler, protect him.  
  
And then Evan and JD bursting onto the scene, Evan moving to protect Tyler, and JD -  
  
Cam hadn’t been kidding. Young as JD was, he was no child. The way he moved - Frank had seen those moves. Learned a few of them himself. JD, whoever he really was, had some serious Special Forces training. And his utter lack of hesitation about diving into the fray and laying all those men out, breaking them brutally with his bare hands - that was a trained reflex. People weren’t born with the ability to commit that level of violence upon each other. JD was a soldier.  
  
And he’d saved Cam’s life.  
  
Wendy had wept once the video finished.  
  
Frank had gone to throw up.  
  
As soon as the sun came up, neighbors and relatives would be calling with concerns and condolences and well-wishes for Cam, but now, in the darkness before the dawn, it was just their family and friends.  
  
Vala was asleep in one of the guest rooms. She was some kind of civilian contractor with the military program Cam and Evan had once belonged to, that Rodney and John still worked for. She’d been sent along to facilitate Cam’s medical care, to get him stable enough to move. Major Cartwright, Mr. Woolsey, John, and Rodney had gone along on the Life Flight back to Colorado Springs. Whatever Vala had done for Cam, it had made her pale and exhausted, and she hadn’t been up for travel. She apologized profusely for imposing on them, but Wendy had had hugged her breathless.  
  
JD was, by all reports, still at the hospital, staying with Evan, who’d had a very rough time of things. John, in his phone call from the helicopter, had been very hopeful about Evan’s prognosis, that he’d be released in the morning, and someone from the Air Force would be by to make sure Evan, JD, Tyler, and Vala all returned to Colorado Springs. Cam would be receiving cutting-edge medical care at the hospital under Cheyenne Mountain. Frank and Wendy were welcome to stay at Casa Atlantica once Cam was released, so they could spend time with him. Anyone in the family was welcome. And maybe getting out of Kansas would help them avoid the worst of the press vultures, which the Air Force was also apparently going to handle.  
  
Eventually, after Frank had nodded off a few times, Wendy convinced him it was time to go to sleep.  
  
He lay in bed, unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling. When both of his sons had made it into the Academy, he’d been so proud, and he’d always been quietly terrified of the day an officer showed up at the door with a letter to deliver. But he’d never contemplated the thought of losing his sons to anything but combat or old age.  
  
He drifted off, woke only after a few hours - still with the military internal clock - and dressed, wheeled himself into the kitchen.  
  
He could hear someone speaking quietly in the den and paused, listened. Tyler. Speaking to his girlfriend, Brenda. Assuring her all was well, his family was all right, they were coming home soon. He sounded calm and brave, and then he said _love you too, ‘bye_ , and there was a pause.  
  
And a sniffle.  
  
Tears.

Frank abandoned the coffee maker and rolled into the den. Tyler was curled up in the armchair, sobbing.  
  
“Son,” Frank said. “What’s wrong?” It was a stupid question. Everything in Tyler’s world was wrong. His sense of safety and security had been shattered. His family had been hurt.  
  
Tyler’s voice hitched with sobs. “I couldn’t - couldn’t protect Cammie. Couldn’t save him. I -”  
  
Frank didn’t hesitate, tugged Tyler into his arms and held him tightly. “No, son. No. You were brave. You tried to protect him. You called for help. You were amazing.”  
  
Tyler shook his head. “No. I could hear them. They were hurting him. I could hear -”  
  
“Sh, no. Don’t think about it. You’re safe. He’s safe.”  
  
Tyler sobbed harder, and Frank held him tighter, rocking him and making soothing noises.  
  
Tyler buried his face against Frank’s neck and sobbed till he fell asleep. Frank rocked him and hummed an old hymn under his breath, and somewhere along the way, he also fell asleep.  
  
He woke to someone shaking his shoulder.  
  
“Frank, wake up. Your back and legs are going to be killing you if you stay like that for too long.”  
  
Frank blinked his eyes open and saw - JD and Evan. Both of them were pale, with dark circles under their eyes. Evan had Tyler in his arms.  
  
“I’ll put him to bed,” he said.  
  
JD nodded, smoothed a hand briefly over Tyler’s hair before Evan headed for the stairs.   
  
“Cam always feels lousy when he falls asleep in his chair,” JD said quietly. “You want me to go get your crutches?”  
  
“I use my chair when Wendy’s still asleep, so I don’t wake her up by thumping around,” Frank said. He rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”  
  
“Almost ten, sir. Hospital discharged Evan. I called us a cab.”  
  
“Why didn’t you call us?”  
  
“Figured everyone needed to rest.”  
  
“You need to rest, too.”  
  
“I slept enough. Want me to start breakfast?” JD started for the kitchen, but Frank stayed him with a hand on his wrist.  
  
JD paused, gazing at him expectantly.  
  
Frank said, “Thank you. For -”  
  
JD wrenched his hand away. “Never, ever thank me for taking lives.”  
  
“For protecting my son.” Frank kept his hands to himself. “For protecting my grandson.”  
  
“Like I said, sir, I love Cameron, and I love Tyler like he’s my own son.”  
  
Frank gazed into JD’s eyes and said, “I know. I know you love them. And thank you for that.”  
  
JD wet his lips, looked away for a moment. Then he said, “I know it sounds impossible, but I know what it’s like to have a son. My own flesh and blood. And I know what it feels like to lose him. I’m glad you didn’t have to find out what that feels like.”  
  
“Son,” Frank said, and JD huffed out a laugh.  
  
“Sorry. No offense. Just - no one calls me that. Hasn’t, in a long time.”  
  
“I consider you one of my sons,” Frank said. “The way I consider Ash’s Cynthia my daughter.”  
  
JD’s eyes were dark, unreadable. But then he smiled and said, “Thank you, sir. I - that’d make Cam really, really happy.”  
  
“You don’t have to call me ‘sir’, you know.”  
  
“It was what I always called my own father,” JD said. “My parents raised me right, taught me good manners.”  
  
“I think your parents, wherever they are, would be very proud of you.”  
  
“I hope so.” JD straightened up, took a deep breath. “So, breakfast? I’m not nearly as good a cook as Evan, but I’m pretty sure none of us ate properly in the last little while, and I think I heard Wendy rattling around in her room.”  
  
“Breakfast would be very nice,” Frank said, and he followed JD into the kitchen. His family had a ways to go, but they would be whole again.


End file.
